Lakers 108, Clippers 95

Kobe Bryant wore a sleeve over his lower right arm all through his 2007-08 NBA MVP season.

Maybe it's just the thing for the Lakers to add to this season.

in the Lakers' 108-95 victory over the Clippers, Bryant donned a sleeve over his shooting arm at halftime Friday night because of an ulnar nerve contusion to his right elbow (banged his funny bone). He then broke open a tight game against the Clippers with a spectacular shooting show and 18 third-quarter points.

Bryant sat out the fourth quarter, although he could still be seen wincing in pain during timeouts, and finished with 24 points. He hurt the elbow in a collision with Clippers guard Randy Foye 3:03 before halftime and eventually headed to the locker room early; Bryant was called for a foul on the play but told Coach Phil Jackson at halftime: "I'll be there."

Bryant is now 10 points shy of Elvin Hayes for seventh place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. The Lakers play at Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Bryant did almost all his damage in the third on jump shots after trying with his left hand to score on his first shot. He wound up making 8 of 10 right-handed shots in the quarter, wearing a purple sleeve with padding over the elbow -- and even had three assists as a 52-50 Lakers lead swelled to 85-67. It was because of a strained right forearm in training camp in 2007 that he wore the sleeve all that season.

While Bryant was quiet in the first half, Pau Gasol picked up where he left off with his clutch overtime last game in Portland. Gasol had 18 of his 22 points in the first half and made 8 of 9 field-goal attempts and 6 of 6 foul shots.

Besides Bryant, the Lakers also firmed up their defense in the second half against a Clippers team still missing Eric Gordon (wrist injury) and not yet with Mo Williams (Baron Davis trade not yet official). The Lakers held the Clippers to 37.8 percent shooting.

Clippers phenom Blake Griffin shot 7 of 18 from the field -- missing two early dunks -- but finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes. He still had Lakers center Andrew Bynum oohing on the bench and turning to his teammates, impressed, after watching Griffin hang in the air for a fourth-quarter dunk.

The victory improved the Lakers to 3-0 since they went 0-3 before the All-Star break.

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